FTFA: Rev. DeForest Soaries, Jr., a senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset, New Jersey, laid out what he believes are three roles of the church in education."One is programs. Some churches have their own schools that would be on the programmatic level, after school programs and literacy programs. The second is political dealings with the various political forces that impact and control public schools: Making sure people run for school board, making sure people vote for school board, and monitor what's happening. And, the third is policy: Advocating for policies that enhance the likelihood of success."

Maybe I'm just paranoid because the vouchers-friendly governor and legislature here in PA have shoved light years of dicks down the throats of public schools in the past two years and pointed to the "falling test scores" as "proof" that vouchers are the only way, but, that statement pretty much reads to me as: "Start school that teaches only what we want, vote in lawmakers who'll do what we say Because Jesus, then get all that sweet, sweet property tax money into our pockets."

"The basis of Christianity or even that of the black church, or any religion that is concerned about humanity. There is no dichotomy between spirituality and education, or liberation," said Stallworth.

Actually there is when your religion is actively opposed to real, science-based education. There's a f**king huge "dichotomy".

God-is-a-Taco:"Faith leaders" and "education" used in the same headline without negatives or sarcasm?Your school blog sucks, CNN.

Well, considering that the public education system in this country wouldn't even exist without the Catholic Church, perhaps they know more than you about the subject.

The free universal public education system only came about after the waves of Irish and Italian immigrants started coming to this country in the 1840-60's. They brough with them Many Catholic traditions including low-cost parochial schools and the religious orders dedicated to teaching (Sister of St Joseph, The Dominicans, the Jesuits, The Christian Brothers, the Marists, etc etc.

These schools, and their policy of providing nearly free education to anyone who wanted it so alarmed anti-immigrant bigots like the Nativists (who were convinced that it was all a plot to brainwash the children into becoming Papist operatives who would overthrow the US government) that they demanded that tax dollars be used to set up free, and secular public schools. This created the framework that let the progressives of the 1890's to push for compulsory attendance at school as a way to combat child labor.

FTA: "We still get the largest number of black people gathering every week so that becomes an easy way to disseminate information. Television is wonderful, radio is wonderful but when a pastor is able to stand in front and mobilize his or her congregation there's no comparison."

Cythraul:Magorn: God-is-a-Taco: "Faith leaders" and "education" used in the same headline without negatives or sarcasm?Your school blog sucks, CNN.

Well, considering that the public education system in this country wouldn't even exist without the Catholic Church, perhaps they know more than you about the subject.

The free universal public education system only came about after the waves of Irish and Italian immigrants started coming to this country in the 1840-60's. They brough with them Many Catholic traditions including low-cost parochial schools and the religious orders dedicated to teaching (Sister of St Joseph, The Dominicans, the Jesuits, The Christian Brothers, the Marists, etc etc.

These schools, and their policy of providing nearly free education to anyone who wanted it so alarmed anti-immigrant bigots like the Nativists (who were convinced that it was all a plot to brainwash the children into becoming Papist operatives who would overthrow the US government) that they demanded that tax dollars be used to set up free, and secular public schools. This created the framework that let the progressives of the 1890's to push for compulsory attendance at school as a way to combat child labor.

Don't forget the benefits of teaching patriotic propaganda in the form of 'U.S. History' to kids for several generations.

Propaganda in my Public schools?

though to be fair that really started up right around WWI (about the same time as the Sedition acts) When a majority of the country either opposed the US' entry into the War of thought we should be joining the other side, and so the US government began to demand "loyalty" from it citizens and criminalized poltical dissent. It's also about the time that many mid-western school districts switched from German to English as thier primary instructional language (also why my Grandmother emigrated from Germany to NYC in 1918, but my mother and her brother don't speak a single word of German)

Real Women Drink Akvavit:EyeballKid: The daylong conference was hosted by education organizations StudentsFirst, founded by Michelle Rhee and Stand Up, led by her husband, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

Thank goodness, I was afraid there would be a snake-oil shortage during this event.

Johnson and Rhee have been involved in so many scandals, at least one involving education, the minute I saw their names in that article I just thought "Hike up your dresses and run, Preacher dudes! RUN!!" I don't know if those types of Christians wear the dresses, but every time I hear someone is a church leader I picture Catholic or Lutheran garb. Men in dresses, basically.

BTW, a couple of my Scandinavian friends were required to take religious education as those are all officially Christian countries. They read the bible throughout their schooling and they are atheists because of it. When you actually read the book repeatedly and write reports on it, well, it's hard to find too many redeeming qualities, I guess. One of them, when the subject comes up, gets all Mr Burns "excellent" and is all for it in the US. Says we could use more normal folk and less religious extremists and anti-theists who lump all faiths in with the baddies. She says it should only take a generation or two and we'd turn into a very large, fatty-occupied version of Sweden. Ya know, that doesn't sound too bad to me, really.

Yeah, I read the entire Bible when I was going through my Confirmation. It wasn't required, I just figured I should.

\reading the Bible ended up being a big reason why I stopped believing.

sodomizer:Public schools are worthless at this point. The kids learn more propaganda and civics than actual information, and come out of the schools without having learned any critical thinking or analysis skills. If the church opposes this kind of "education," I might have to convert.

If you think the church is going to help develop critical thinking or analysis skills, perhaps you're just the kind of savvy investor I've been looking for. What if I told you I had an amazing investment opportunity in the form of these magic beans?

Public schools are worthless at this point. The kids learn more propaganda and civics than actual information, and come out of the schools without having learned any critical thinking or analysis skills. If the church opposes this kind of "education," I might have to convert.

WI241TH:kid_icarus: "The basis of Christianity or even that of the black church, or any religion that is concerned about humanity. There is no dichotomy between spirituality and education, or liberation," said Stallworth.

Actually there is when your religion is actively opposed to real, science-based education. There's a f**king huge "dichotomy".

Wait, a black church is Satan worshipers, right?

He's not implying churches with black congregations are based on something other than Christianity, is he?

kid_icarus:"The basis of Christianity or even that of the black church, or any religion that is concerned about humanity. There is no dichotomy between spirituality and education, or liberation," said Stallworth.

Actually there is when your religion is actively opposed to real, science-based education. There's a f**king huge "dichotomy".

Wait, a black church is Satan worshipers, right?

He's not implying churches with black congregations are based on something other than Christianity, is he?